Lucy Hale Previews a ‘Major Turning Point’ for ‘Katy Keene’
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Have you fallen for Katy Keene yet? Get on that, OK?
After two weeks of being the shiny, happy, heart-shaped new member of the Archieverse, the insanely lovable musical-dramedy is getting a touch more serious with a Valentine’s Day episode all about Katy (Lucy Hale) and her “Long Island prince,” K.O. Kelly (Zane Holtz).
Having dodged his series premiere proposal most of last week, our adorable Katy finally sold the boxing hottie on the idea of living together before committing to anything more marital. “That’s like a major turning point for Katy personally,” says Hale. “It’s been weighing on her mind since the pilot. What does she do? Does she say yes to this seemingly perfect guy? He’s all she’s been with.”
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The answer to that doesn’t get any easier once the big lug moves in. Even though the couple has deep roots — “They seem like high-school sweethearts, [so] I want to say they’ve probably known each other since they were kids,” Hale offers — K.O. has a pretty rough time winning over new roomies Jorge (Jonny Beauchamp) and Josie (Ashleigh Murray), as well as constant guest Pepper (Julia Chan). In fact, every time he tries to do something nice, it blows up in his face. One time, almost literally.
How this all plays out remains in “no spoilers” territory, although we can reveal that there is plenty of romance and twists for several characters on tap for Cupid’s big day tonight. And at the same time, fans might want to pay attention to a possible mystery brewing in the background. All along, Katy’s flashbacks have been focused on her seemingly perfect late mother and their shared passion for fashion and sewing, but what about daddy? Turns out we may be finding out more about that one soon. Hale hints that in coming episodes, in addition to joining in for a few musical numbers, “Katy kind of plays a little Nancy Drew and puts the pieces together,” leading to some developments even she didn’t see coming. “Yeah, things are getting spicy around here!”
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That heat clearly is contagious, because Hale has been burning it at both ends, with the launch of this ebullient romp of a Riverdale spinoff happening just as her turn in the creepy update of Fantasy Island hit theaters. “It’s kind of a lot,” she says of juggling press for both projects while also filming Katy and figuring out how to get around her new neighborhood in New York. “But it’s fun and I’m just taking it all in.”
The admitted horror fan confesses that she adores working with Blumhouse, the company behind Island and her previous outing, Truth or Dare, and has her fingers crossed for more mayhem with them in the future. “I hope they keep me in the family. I mean, I love that genre and I love everything they do.”
Likewise, Hale has nothing but praise for the folks behind Katy. “Oh my God, out of every job I’ve had, I feel like this one challenged me the most,” she says joyfully. “And in a lot of ways, this is the busiest I’ve ever been in my life. But I just feel like the writers really did a good job with me. They really wrote some amazing things for my character to do…and I’m singing again! Singing is always kind of scary for me, so doing that was a challenge. And honestly, moving to New York was terrifying for me as well,” adds the so-charming Memphis native. “But I did it!
Katy Keene, Thursdays, 8/7c, The CW
